Does Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) work? Research results have been mixed. Some studies have measured a modest improvement in student achievement; others have found no effect. A team of RAND researchers has approached the question of CSR's effectiveness by first focusing on an even more basic question: Has CSR been implemented? A shortcoming…

This book reflects a comprehensive approach to program foundation, delivery, management and accountability. The model provides the mechanism with which school counselors and school counseling teams will design, coordinate, implement, manage and evaluate their programs for students' success. The publication provides a framework for the program…

This progress interim report describes trends in implementation, school performance, and related factors for a sample of schools participating in the New American Schools (NAS) program. NAS is a program funding the development of designs aimed at transforming entire schools at the elementary and secondary levels. This evaluation focuses on the…

This study examined the impact of the second year of the federal class-size reduction (CSR) program in the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), North Carolina. The 23 participating schools in the WCPSS had from 22% to 51% of their students receiving free or reduced-price lunches. In the second year, the CSR program was expanded from grades 1…

In 2001-2002, 23 schools in the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS), North Carolina, were provided with 40 teacher positions through the Class Size Reduction Program (CSR). Achievement results for students in reduced class sizes were compared with those of similar students in other CSR schools who did not choose the same grade for the project…

The Academic Support Services Program (ASSP) provides funds to Massachusetts school districts to develop or enhance academic support for students in second through tenth grade who performed poorly on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) or on other standardized assessment measures. In 1999, the Massachusetts Education Reform…

This report is the result of massive public input, five Governor's Summits, and several Board task forces. The research-based plan reflects a confluence of state legislation aimed at improving student achievement, and the Utah Performance Assessment System for Schools (U-PASS), the state's accountability measuring system. The competency-based…

Presents a case study of Second Chance, a successful academic support program for minority undergraduate students. Describes the program's five components and the major impediments to its success, and discusses the program's outcomes relative to their duplication and reasonable expectations. (GR)

Discusses assessment of student academic achievement, how librarians can participate, the role of the Higher Learning Commission's assessment matrix and accredited institutions, examples of strategies institutions have used to deal with challenges to implementing useful assessment programs, and examples of indirect and direct measures of student…

Discusses the use of online teaching assistants or "course wizards," employed at Mercy College (New York) not only to tutor students who are experiencing difficulty but also to facilitate discussion and to model the role of a successful student. Presents a discussion of the current crisis in higher education in America and of how online…

The article describes the steps taken to develop and implement a learning-styles-based instructional approach in a 1300-student high school in Corsicana, Texas. Noted are positive effects on students, teachers, achievement, attitudes, and behavior. (DB)

In a community college marketing education program, students assumed responsibility for their learning and their grades. Using the program developed by the Marketing Education Resource Center (MarkED), outcomes and objectives were determined and the class schedule was reorganized. Results show that students work at a higher performance level and…

To tap the resources, knowledge, and expertise of parents, a West Virginia middle school initiated a parent-involvement program in fall 1992. The parents created their own program, the Red Apple Corps, which planned and promoted a back-to-school day, a birthday bulletin board, a tutoring program, a school pride award, and the school newspaper.…

A Yuma (Arizona) elementary school district discovered that year-round schooling is doable, if the community is ready. Before proceeding, superintendents should do their homework, involve the community, form a support group to solidify acceptance, rally colleagues, develop a multiyear implementation plan, collect data on issues raised in the…

Although reports calling for middle level schooling reform first appeared in the mid-1970s, change has been slow to come. In Turning Points: Preparing American Youth for the 21st Century (1989), the Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development outlined eight essential elements of middle level education. Drawing from the Carnegie Council's…